NOVEL WEB Chapter 166 - Ranking (5)
Chapter 166: Ranking (5)
A subtle light of enlightenment emitted softly.
It was so sacred that it was hard to believe it came from a human.
Could this be what a saint from legend would look like?
No matter how many times one looked, it was a sight that would never grow old.
But the problem lay in that “many times.”
‘Not many times? Just twice?’
Yuri had actually experienced enlightenment three times, but one of those was his own, while the other two were someone else’s.
In reality, he had only witnessed it directly twice.
Once during Greta Wigun’s time.
And now, again with Gunther Irons.
He wasn’t sure if the Demon King had gone through enlightenment or not.
Seeing how he suddenly appeared much stronger, it seemed highly likely.
And that was the problem.
‘No, forget how many times—why is it that everything I fight against seems to achieve enlightenment?! Am I some sort of enlightenment pouch? Like wisdom just spills out if you hit me?’
Of course, it was Gunther who was beaten up one-sidedly, but even that didn’t sit well with him.
‘Damn it! I get my ass handed to me, and I don’t gain even a drop of enlightenment!’
If he added up all the beatings he had taken from Johan, plus the ones from Greta and the Demon King, he should have been achieving enlightenment a dozen times a day.
Yet for someone like him, enlightenment never came, no matter how much he suffered…
‘And that guy just gets hit once and achieves it?’
What could be more unfair than this?
His irritation grew, and thoughts he shouldn’t have began to creep in.
‘…Should I just go ahead and punch him?’
A desire to personally present Gunther, who seemed to have gotten off too easily, with trials and tribulations arose.
Yuri, who had taken a step forward, paused and flinched.
Then he clicked his tongue softly.
“Tsk… Consider yourself lucky.”
Had he not experienced enlightenment himself, there was a high chance he might have actually hit him.
But having tasted enlightenment himself…
He knew all too well how much those who yearn for strength dream of such moments.
And he could also predict the overwhelming sense of loss that would follow if that moment was shattered.
So, Yuri reined in his rising irritation.
Though it was somewhat irksome…
‘…I’ll let it go this time.’
Yuri slowly unclenched his fist.
This truly was a lucky moment for Gunther.
Ssssss-.
In the meantime, Gunther’s enlightenment came to an end.
“Ah…”
His eyes, which had been clouded in spiritual ecstasy, gradually regained their usual hue.
Emerging from enlightenment, Gunther slightly bowed his head towards Yuri.
“…Thank you.”
It was a word of gratitude laden with many meanings.
Gratitude for becoming his goal.
Gratitude for being able to achieve enlightenment because of him.
Perhaps even gratitude for not interrupting that moment of enlightenment and waiting for him.
Gunther himself didn’t know exactly what he was thankful for, but he simply expressed the gratitude swelling in his heart.
At the same time, he pointed his sword at Yuri.
“I’m glad that I can use the enlightenment I gained because of you, for you.”
With those words, Gunther charged at Yuri.
Throb, throb—
Though he had achieved enlightenment for a moment, it didn’t translate into physical recovery.
Despite the pain, Gunther endured and ran.
Reaching Yuri, he swung his sword.
The Irons family’s secret magic body technique.
The Talons of Thunder King.
The tip of the sword, charged with pure white lightning, split and drew sharp claws.
One, two, three, four.
In an instant, it multiplied to a total of four.
That was the extent of Gunther’s power when he faced Theresia in the past.
But the Gunther of now was different from the Gunther of then.
The current Gunther was equipped with full-body armor.
For a knight, full-body armor was not just a simple means of defense.
It was another body, a crucial element of the magic body technique.
With that important condition fulfilled, and the slight enlightenment he had just gained, the tip of Gunther’s sword ultimately split into five.
Swish—
Finally, Gunther managed to fully unleash the Five Talons of the Thunder King, a technique that the Irons family’s founder had once mimicked.
For the first time in his life, Gunther drew out five strands of lightning, almost perfectly.
He was filled with confidence that this would surely reach Yuri.
But those expectations were quickly shattered.
Swoosh—
Yuri’s figure wavered like a mirage and easily slipped between the five strands of lightning.
‘Ah…!’
Gunther could only watch blankly as Yuri moved further away.
Yuri, having instantly widened the distance, crooked his lips into a sly smile.
“Wow… full of energy, huh?”
Yuri said as he moved forward.
Whoosh—
“…?!”
Yuri appeared suddenly before Gunther.
Momentarily losing sight of Yuri’s movements, Gunther hastily swung his sword.
The Irons family’s secret magic body technique.
The Wings of Thunder King.
A trailing image created by Gunther’s sword.
It resembled a massive wing wrapping around his body.
Gunther deployed one of his family’s renowned defensive techniques.
However, Yuri’s sword mercilessly penetrated between the feathers of the wings.
“…?!”
Shocked, Gunther tried to react quickly, but his body wouldn’t follow suit.
He was already gravely injured.
Up until now, he had been able to move, briefly forgetting his pain thanks to his spiritual ecstasy.
But having pushed himself too hard, his limits came swiftly.
Of course, even if Gunther’s body had been in perfect condition, keeping up with Yuri’s speed would have been impossible.
‘…It’s over.’
Gunther wore a self-deprecating smile.
Though he had gained enlightenment, his state hadn’t achieved a dramatic breakthrough.
He hadn’t risen to a higher stage through enlightenment, nor had he shattered the long-standing walls blocking his path.
Gunther hadn’t achieved such remarkable progress, but he was more than satisfied.
With the mental growth achieved through this enlightenment…
If he continued to strive forward based on that, he was confident he could reach even greater heights.
Despite losing to Yuri today, the gratitude outweighed the frustration of defeat.
Thanks to Yuri, he had realized many things.
With that mindset, Gunther braced himself for the pain that would soon follow.
And then…
Clang— clang— clang!
Hearing the sound from nearby, Gunther tilted his head in confusion.
Although Gunther had expected pain to follow, there was none.
While Gunther wore a puzzled expression—
Clang— clank— clatter!
Pieces of metal fell from Gunther’s body.
More precisely, his already tattered upper armor fell to the ground.
Gunther realized immediately.
‘Could that sound just now have been… the seams of my armor being severed?’
It was Yuri’s sword strike from earlier.
It had precisely targeted and severed only the connecting parts of his upper armor.
Truly, it was an astonishingly precise and skillful display of swordsmanship.
Gunther looked straight ahead.
“Yuri Holland…”
Yuri, having finished his attack, had already withdrawn and sheathed his sword.
Gunther bowed his head once again towards him.
“…Thank you for showing mercy.”
To sever the seams of steel armor meant that Yuri’s strike had enough power to easily slice through his body as well.
But Yuri hadn’t done that.
He had merely severed the seams and disarmed Gunther.
How could he not bow his head to such magnanimity?
“…I admit my defeat.”
The moment Gunther said that—
“What bullshit are you spouting with your mouth, huh?”
“…?”
Startled by the crude insult from the front, Gunther blinked.
Yuri was walking towards him, cracking his knuckles.
Crack, crack—
Yuri’s head tilted slightly askew.
“Hah, look at this bastard. Damn, I held back my annoyance and patiently waited, but the moment your eyes come back, you try to stab me? You ungrateful son of a bitch!”
“…Ah…”
“And what’s this about admitting your defeat? Admitting defeat, huh?”
“Well…”
“Damn, what a joke. What if you don’t admit it? What are you going to do?”
Yuri’s eyes, filled with a sinister smile, glared wildly.
“Don’t fool yourself, you idiot! Whether you admit it or not, you’ve already lost. You saying you admit or don’t admit it is just you trying to make yourself feel better, got it?”
Gunther’s head started to spin from the downpour of insults.
Gunther, who had never spoken or heard such harsh words in his life, didn’t know how to react to the barrage of curses that exceeded his mental capacity.
As Gunther stood there stammering, Yuri’s verbal assault continued relentlessly.
“This idiot can’t handle being treated gently and tries to climb up?”
“You’re going a bit too far—”
“And what’s with trying to end the fight on your own terms? Do you think your opinion matters in this situation?”
“…”
“No, your opinion doesn’t matter one bit. You might have challenged me on your own whim, but…”
Crack, crack—
Yuri now cracked his neck, showing a menacing smile.
“Ending it is up to me.”
With those words, Yuri’s figure vanished.
Swoosh—
Encased in blue lightning, Yuri suddenly appeared in front of Gunther.
If up to now Yuri’s insults had rained down like a shower, what followed was a torrent of his fists.
‘Ah…’
Yuri’s fists left countless afterimages.
Gunther realized, as the afterimages struck only his upper body.
‘It wasn’t mercy…’
Yuri hadn’t severed the armor seams to show mercy.
It was simply because…
‘He didn’t want to hurt his own hands… so he stripped it off.’
And by the time he realized this, Yuri’s fists were already pummeling Gunther’s upper body.
Thud— thunk— crash— thududududududududu!
Gunther’s torso shook as if dancing under the barrage of blows.
With it, a horrifying wave of pain surged in.
As Gunther’s vision blurred, the grinning face of Yuri came into view.
‘Ah, this guy…’
A true madness emanated from his bulging eyes.
The smirk full of joy, exhilaration, and satisfaction.
Gunther’s spine tingled, struck by a profound realization.
‘He’s… truly insane…’
With that final, belated enlightenment, Gunther’s vision turned completely white.
And perhaps this was…
The most valuable realization Gunther gained today.
When Gunther had first entered his enlightenment, the 50 cadets watching had hoped for a reversal.
The weak, cornered individual awakening and turning the tables.
It was reminiscent of a common scenario from stories.
But no such twist existed.
Thud— thunk— crash— thududududududududu!
A sound akin to a drum being beaten rapidly echoed pleasantly through the arena.
The problem was that the sound wasn’t from a drum but from someone being beaten.
Thud thud thud thud—!
Flinch, flinch—
Gunther was being horrifically pummeled.
Even though he was clearly unconscious, the beating didn’t stop.
No, even though he was knocked out, he was still standing and getting hit.
Each time the drum-like sound rang out, the spectators flinched in sync.
And finally—
Thud!
With a clear and resounding noise, Yuri’s human drum performance concluded.
Thud—
The tattered Gunther slumped down like a waterlogged rag doll.
“Phew… that was fun, farewell.”
Yuri wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead with a relaxed expression.
And in front of him, Gunther lay motionless.
Someone mumbled at the sight.
“…He must be dead, right?”
Sadly, there was no one to refute that statement.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Gunther was still alive.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he was barely hanging on to life.
He was promptly taken to the medical bay.
Meanwhile, the 50 cadets gathered once again in the arena.
“…”
Even though there were many people gathered, not a single conversation could be heard.
The 50 cadets just kept glancing at Yuri, who swayed slightly.
If they happened to make eye contact with Yuri, they quickly averted their gaze.
Seeing this, Yuri smirked.
‘Should’ve done this sooner?’
He had shown some of his strength during the previous joint quest, but even after that, the other cadets had subtly continued to look down on him.
But today was different.
The disdain was gone, replaced solely by eyes filled with fear.
Their attitudes towards him had clearly changed.
‘As expected, taking down one recognized by others is much more effective than defeating a bunch of nobodies.’
Whether it’s well-educated kids from good families or gangsters from the back alleys, their behavior isn’t all that different.
As Yuri was thinking that—
Someone voiced a question.
“So… what should be done about Gunther’s ranking now?”
It was then that the 50 cadets were reminded of the fact that they were in the middle of determining the rankings.
‘We’re supposed to set the rankings below the first place which is already decided, but…’
But Gunther had been carried away in a state of unconsciousness.
If Gunther were just some random nobody, they might have ignored it and continued.
However, despite being beaten like a drum by Yuri, no one underestimated Gunther’s abilities.
So, proceeding with the ranking matches without Gunther felt awkward.
And the one who proposed the solution was none other than Arin.
“Why not just ask Yuri?”